


Stranger of My Imagination

by shinysylver



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dreams, Dreams vs. Reality, Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M, because working tech support is punishment, but with all the trappings of an AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-27 12:45:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18194771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinysylver/pseuds/shinysylver
Summary: “The New Republic High Court has outlawed capital punishment. You have been deemed guilty of the crime of genocide. There is no rehabilitation for you. By their order you have been sentenced to sleep for the rest of your natural life.”Deemed too dangerous for prison, Kylo and Hux are stripped of their memories and sentenced to live out the rest of their lives in a specially constructed dream world. But can any prison truly hold them?





	Stranger of My Imagination

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Kylux Titleception 2019. I was very excited to see this title in my prompt list because it gave me the perfect opportunity to write a plot bunny that I've had since early last year. The original idea for this story came to me while I was watching the fanvid [Dream You Wide Awake [AU]](https://youtu.be/Jrf5S0DD6Vc) by Solohux. My idea for the story is very different than the story they told with the video, but it inspired me. 
> 
> I reached out to Solohux and asked them if they were okay with me writing a story inspired by their video and thankfully they were nothing, but supportive. Please make sure to go love on the video!
> 
> I also owe so much to Huxandthehound for betaing my story and making an amazing mood board for it. This story wouldn't be what it is without her. She always pushes me to bring my best writing to the table and I'm so grateful to know her.

__

_I'll dream you wide awake_  
_~Dreaming Wide Awake by Poets of the Fall~_

* * *

 

“No!” Hux yelled. He pulled uselessly against the restraints holding him to the surgical table. He knew that his terror was giving the audience what they wanted, but his fear overwhelmed his pride. “You can’t do this to me!”

“The New Republic High Court has outlawed capital punishment,” the medic stated calmly as if she was reading from a prepared statement. She ignored his struggles and directed the droids to intravenously administer the chemical solutions that would end his life as he knew it. “You have been deemed guilty of the crime of genocide. There is no rehabilitation for you. By their order you have been sentenced to sleep for the rest of your natural life.”

“Please,” Hux whispered. He stopped struggling and finally lowered himself to beg.  “Just kill me. That would be better.”

His pleas were met with mocking laughter and jeers from the crowd of onlookers. The New Republic had held a lottery for witnesses to his execution—no matter what pretty words they used it was an execution in all but name—and the winners were enjoying seeing the Grand Marshall of the First Order brought low. The proceedings were also being broadcast far and wide via holovid.

The New Republic claimed that they were the more civilized option for the Galaxy, but the circus surrounding his punishment proved otherwise.

Hux turned his head away from the audience, unwilling to let them see the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. Sleep without end was a far worse fate than death. To exist in a purgatory of his dreams was truly a cruel punishment. They'd told him that he wouldn't remember anything about this life. At least the First Order had had the decency to kill criminals outright.

When he turned his head, his eyes met Ren's intense stare. He was strapped to the table next to him.

“Just look at me,” Ren said, gently. It was strange to hear Ren so calm. He was never calm—a fact that had always frustrated Hux—and instead of being comforting it only scared Hux more. Part of him had held out hope that Ren would pull out a Force trick and save them both at the last moment. But it appeared that the New Republic had succeeded in drugging the Force out of him. "Keep your eyes on me."

He took a deep breath and kept his eyes locked on Ren's, blocking out the audience and the medic. They were beneath him anyway.

Hux felt the sharp sting in his arm as the injections began, but he refused to flinch. He'd already sacrificed his pride to no avail. He would meet this punishment in a manner befitting his station.

“I’ll find you,” Ren promised, soft enough that no one but Hux and the medic would be able to hear him.

It was an empty promise—Ren’s ability to use the Force was contained and he had been sentenced to the same miserable fate—and yet Hux clung to the thought as the world grew fuzzy around him. If anyone could pull off the impossible it was Ren.

His last conscious thought was that Ren’s normally brown eyes were shining an unnatural shade of gold in the harsh lights of the prison medical ward. It was almost pretty.

**

The loud ring of the phone startled Hux awake. He rubbed at his eyes, exhausted from lack of sleep. His dreams had woken him up at the crack of dawn—again—and it wasn’t like his job was exciting enough to keep him awake. The phone rang for a third time and he rushed to pick it up before his hesitance was noticed by the manager.

"Droid Vacuums. Tech support, this is Armitage. How can I help you?"

Hux closed his eyes, barely paying attention as the confused customer described his problem with his new R2 model robotic vacuum. It was always the same thing. Sometimes they were angry and sometimes they were confused, but the majority of their problems were user error and could be solved by reading the instructions. But they never read the instructions.

"Have you tried turning it off and then on again?" Hux asked with a sigh. He'd probably get in trouble for that sigh if his manager listened to the recording of this call, but he couldn't help himself. He hated his job.

Thankfully by the time he finally got off the phone his shift was over. He rushed to fill out the call logs and get out of the office. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go, but anywhere was better than staying there.

Hux grabbed his bag and made sure his desk was in pristine condition. He shared the desk with the woman who worked night shift and neither of them were allowed to have anything personal. The whole cubicle farm was a bland and uninspiring place, everything identical from desk to desk.

He slowed down as he passed the manager's office on the way out of the building. It was an actual office with a window and framed photographs next to the computer. Every time he saw it he felt a wave of bitter envy. He didn't have any pictures he wanted to display and he could care less about seeing the sun, but the manager was _somebody_. Some days he thought he would do anything just so that people would learn his name.

But a paycheck was a paycheck and there were no management positions open. There were never any management positions open.

Hux sped up again and headed home.

Millicent greeted him at the door the way she did every day, her loud meows expressing her anger at his absence. If given the chance she would spend her entire day in his lap and didn't appreciate it when her plans were interrupted by his job.

Hux closed the door behind him—the last thing he needed was a repeat of her last escape—and knelt down in front of her. "Hush, I'm home."

Millie butted at his outstretched hand and aggressively rubbed herself against it until he got with the program and gave her the petting she wanted. She was particularly fond of having her chin rubbed.

After a few minutes Hux stood up, wincing at the way his knee twinged. He was getting old and a job that kept him trapped behind a desk wasn't helping matters.

He tossed his jacket and bag onto the chair that he kept next to the door for just that purpose, toed off his shoes, and collapsed facedown on his bed. His apartment was a tiny studio, barely large enough for him and Millie to share. He probably should have gotten a smaller bed—the king size bed took up most of the room—but he refused to give it up. It was the only real luxury that he'd allowed himself.

He'd bought the bed with his first credit card when he'd finally moved out of his father's house. He'd been young enough and stupid enough to imagine the bed getting lots of use as he brought men home. It was an impractical and expensive fuck you to his homophobic father—not that dear old dad had ever seen it. And sadly there hadn't been many men over the years. Most of the time it was just him and Millie.

Still he loved the stupid bed and there wasn't much in this world he could say that about so he kept it.

Millie started howling from the small kitchen and he dragged himself up. Without her to keep him in line, he'd probably just pass out after work and forget to eat. He set out her food and then microwaved himself a Lean Cuisine.

He sat down in front of the TV on the small loveseat he'd managed to cram into the room with his cardboard flavored dinner and pulled up Netflix. He put on some random Sci-Fi show that the algorithm recommended. He watched a lot of Sci-Fi movies and TV. The idea of space travel had always riveted him.

Once the show was over he stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed. He splayed out like a starfish and fell asleep.

**

_"Fire!" Hux ordered. He stood rigidly and watched as the destructive light lit up the sky. There was a horrible beauty to it._

_"Hux," a voice whispered, close enough that he swore he felt hot breath on his neck. He spun around, his hand automatically falling to rest on his blaster, but there was no one there._

_He shook his head at his paranoia and turned back to the task at hand, but there was a strange prickle between his shoulder blades as if he was being watched. Hux tilted his head slightly and focused on his peripheral vision. He could just make out a shadow, but when he turned again there was no-one there. However, the door to the bridge was sliding shut and there was a swirl of black fabric. Hux dashed after it, completely forgetting about the battle he was supposed to be overseeing._

_He ran through the halls, just managing to catch glimpses of a black cloak disappearing around corners ahead of him._

_"Wait!" Hux yelled, but the figure didn't slow._

_He followed the the man through several more halls, before he finally turned a corner and found himself face to face with a wall._

**

Hux jerked awake and sat up straight in bed, jostling Millie and getting a hiss in return. He slapped the bedside light and relaxed as the shadows disappeared. There were no strangers in dark cloaks lurking in his room.

He'd been having the dream for as long as he could remember. Sometimes he was running through the corridors of a spaceship and other times he was lost in a crowd of full of bizarre alien faces—he clearly watched too much television before bed—but there was always a mysterious man just out of reach wearing a black cloak.

The clock on the bedside table read 4:55. It was too early to get up, but he wasn't going to sleep anymore. With that in mind he took a long shower and stopped by a coffee shop on the way to work. He still got there early, but not by too much.

Hux settled into his cubicle and answered the same array of stupid questions from the same incompetent people. At this point the days all ran together in a blur of stupidity that was enough to make anyone a misanthrope.

It was almost lunch time, but the phone rang before he could sign out. He sighed and picked it up. "Droid Vacuum, tech support. This is Armitage. How can I help you?"

"My brand new BB-9E model won't work."

"Is it turned on?" Hux asked. He was barely paying attention to the call, asking questions on autopilot, while daydreaming about lunch. An entire hour with no ringing phones was the highlight of his work day.

"No." The statement was made abruptly, almost aggressively and it snapped Hux back to the present.

"Have you _tried_ to turn it on?"

"I'm not an idiot," the man on the other end of the line scoffed.

Hux generally doubted him. Everyone was an idiot. However, he resigned himself to going down the full list of questions, but before he could start the other man continued. "The damn thing kept spinning. Until I threw it against the wall."

Hux pinched the bridge of his nose. "You tried to fix it by throwing it against the wall? I think we've discovered why it won't work."

"I wouldn't have thrown it if it worked properly."

"Listen, sir—I'm sorry I didn't catch your name?" He wasn't sorry but he had to say he was. Damn recorded calls.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Ben."

"Listen, Ben. The moment you threw that robot you voided the warranty. There's nothing I can do for you."

"That's bullshit."

"Yeah, well, welcome to the real world. Everything sucks and then you die."

The comment was probably too nihilistic for the situation, but Hux was already five minutes late for lunch. Of course if his manager reviewed the tapes or Ben filed a complaint he'd be out of a job. The thought didn't scare him the way it used to.

"You're cheerful," Ben said. He didn't actually laugh, but Hux could hear the amusement in his voice.

"You can't have really thought that this call would get you anywhere." Yeah, Hux was definitely asking to be fired at this point.

"Your vacuums are shoddy," Ben said. "They constantly drop wifi connection and never find their charging station. The spinning was the last straw. Throwing it was justified."

Ben wasn't wrong. Droid robotic vacuums really were awful. "They aren't my robots. I don't even own one."

Hux sighed and pulled up his transaction report. It was ridiculous, but there was something about the audacity of this customer that he liked. It was probably because he wished he could throw one of their vacuums against the wall himself.  "So Ben, if I'm understanding correctly your BB-9E model was defective out of the box and so I'm going to send you out a new one. You will have to return the defective one though."

"As much as I appreciate that, aren't they recording this call?"

Hux shrugged even though Ben couldn't see it. "They never actually listen to those recordings unless the customer files a complaint." At least he hoped that they didn't. "And you don't plan on doing that do you?"

"Nope," Ben replied.

"Good." Hux finished the transaction and hung up. He was twenty minutes late for lunch, but at some point during the call he'd stopped caring about that.

**

_“Hux.” The voice was clearer this time, less of a whisper, and strangely familiar. He dropped his datapad and turned immediately toward the door. This time he was fast enough to see not just the cloak, but a flash of boot before the door closed._

_“Wait!” He shouted futilely a moment too late._

_“General?” One of the officers asked, but Hux ignored him. He rushed out the door and was just in time to see a the black cloak disappear around a corner._

_Hux ran through the corridors, slowly gaining on the man. He got near enough to see that the man was tall—at least as tall as Hux—and moved with a sure gait that spoke of confidence and power. As soon as he got close, though, the man sped up and disappeared around the next corner._

_When Hux tried to follow him he ran straight into the wall._

**

Hux was apprehensive the next day, wondering if his manager would confront him about his clear insubordination the day before—giving away a vacuum to a destructive customer was against every rule in the book—but nothing had changed. He wondered how many vacuums he'd have to give away before they noticed. He was almost tempted to test the theory.

The phone rang and he picked it up. "Droid Vacuums. Tech support. This is Armitage. How can I help you?"

"You have an interesting name."

The voice was familiar. "Ben?"

There was a hesitation on the other end of the line. "Yes."

"How did you get connected to me?" Hux asked. The call should go to the first available person and Ben reaching him two days in a row was beyond a coincidence.

"It wasn't hard."

Ben didn't actually answer his question and Hux knew that he should be concerned that he'd somehow picked up a stalker. But he hadn't felt a thrill like this in a long time. Apparently danger made him feel alive.

"What do you want?"

"You did me a favor yesterday. I thought I should return it. Let me take you for coffee after work."

He should absolutely _not_ go out for coffee with the strange man harassing him at work.  And yet. "I get off at four. Meet me at the cafe on the corner of Imperial and Arkanis."

Hux hung up the phone before he could second guess himself. This might be turn out to be the stupidest thing he'd ever done, but at least his life was exciting for once.

**

Hux paused just inside the door of the coffee shop. There weren't many people here at this time of day and there was no doubt that the large man hunched over at a table in the back was the man he'd been talking to on the phone. He was scowling at the cup of coffee in front of him like he wanted to throw _it_ against a wall.

Looking at him, Hux had serious doubts that the man had any use for a robotic vacuum. He didn't seem the sort to be concerned with twenty-four seven dust and dirt management.

Hux was still debating whether or not he wanted to actually talk to Ben when he looked up and met Hux's eyes from across the room.

It felt like the room spun around him and for just a moment Hux thought that he saw a black cloak wrapped around Ben. He blinked his eyes quickly and it faded. Ben was wearing a retro Nirvana shirt and a faded pair of jeans. He was nothing like the stranger that had been haunting Hux's imagination… and yet the sense of deja vu wouldn't go away.

He took a deep breath and crossed the room to take the seat opposite the man. "Ben I presume?"

Ben scowled but nodded his head.

They sat in awkward silence for a minute before Ben straightened up and gave Hux his full attention. It was unnerving having that intensity aimed at him and Hux fiddled with the sugar packets for a distraction.

"Do you know me?"

"Should I?" Hux asked.

Ben leaned forward in a way that should be threatening, but Hux didn't feel intimidated. "You're just familiar is all."

After another moment of intense staring, Ben slumped back into his chair. "I'm surprised you came. Do you normally meet up with your customers for coffee?"

"Only the ones with anger management issues," Hux said. "I do have _some_ standards."

Ben laughed. The action seemed to surprise him and Hux got the impression he didn't laugh very often.

"So how long have you worked for Droid?" Ben asked. He took a drink of his coffee and Hux regretted not taking the time to order his own drink.

"Too long," Hux answered, bitterly.

Ben leaned forward and tilted his head slightly. "How many years?"

Hux opened his mouth to answer, but drew a blank. He couldn't remember how long he'd actually worked at Droid. It seemed like it had been forever, but when he stopped to think about it he couldn't actually put a date to it.

"It feels like an eternity," Hux answered and immediately deflected with a question of his own. "What about you? Where do you work?"

Ben shrugged. "Here and there."

So Ben was either unemployed or a criminal. Neither one would surprise Hux, and yet he still wasn't turned off. Despite the bizarre sense of deja vu, or maybe because of it, he felt more alive sitting at this table with this strange man than he could remember ever being before. It was like there was suddenly color in his monochrome world.

Hux stared at Ben's coffee. "I thought you were taking me out for coffee?"

Ben raised an eyebrow. "I can get you a cup...or…."

"Or?"

"We can ditch this place and the overpriced coffee and hit up a bar I know.  I'll buy you a real drink."

This was definitely the moment Hux should say no. This had already gone too far and it was time to draw a line in the sand. For all he knew Ben was a serial killer. But at the same time, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt the heady rush of adrenaline coursing through him.

"Okay." 

 

**

  
Hux followed Ben through the mismatched wooden tables to a booth in the back of The Cantina. The bar was run down and filled with the kind of shady characters that Hux expected from a place Ben frequented—he was definitely leaning toward criminal and not unemployed—however he _was_ confused by the Spanish name. There was nothing remotely Spanish about the bar.

"Cantina?" Hux asked.

Ben shrugged. "No clue. The beer is cheap though."

"Then you better buy me two," Hux said, boldly. "After all, that vacuum wasn't cheap."

Ben nodded his head and wound his way back up to the bar. From the back, with the shadows falling just right, it once again looked like Ben had a cloak trailing behind him. It was like something straight out of his dreams and he rubbed at his eyes.

He really needed more sleep if he was starting to hallucinate.

"You okay?" Ben asked.

Hux must have lost track of time because when he opened his eyes Ben had placed a bottle of beer and a shot of what looked like tequila on the table in front of him. He looked suspiciously at the shot. "That's not a beer."

Ben raised an eyebrow, lifted his shot in a silent toast, and downed it like it was water. He slammed the glass down on the bar and took a swig of beer.

Hux knew a challenge when he saw one. Not to be outdone, he knocked his own shot back, suppressing a shudder at the harsh taste. It had been a long time since he'd been out drinking and tequila had never been his favorite.

He grabbed his own beer and chugged half of it down. He knew that he was going to regret drinking on an empty stomach—his head was already starting to spin—but at least now he had an excuse for his hallucinations.

"Another?" Ben asked.

By this point Hux had resigned himself to his bad decisions. "As long as you're still paying."

It only took two more shots before he managed to build up enough artificial courage to ask Ben back to his apartment.

**

Hux fumbled with his keys, trying and failing to unlock the door to his apartment several times.

"Here," Ben said. He took the keys from Hux's uncoordinated hands and opened the door.

"Be careful of Millie," Hux said, remembering to warn Ben now that it was almost too late. A streak of orange dashed toward the open door, but despite having matched Hux shot for shot, Ben managed to kick a leg out and block her escape long enough for Hux to get inside and close the door.

"She's hungry," Hux muttered. He made his way into the kitchen on unsteady feet.

"You have a cat," Ben said, his voice bemused. "I didn't expect that."

Hux grabbed the dry food and tried to fill her bowl, but his coordination was off and most of it ended up on the floor. She could still eat it though.

He left the bag next to the bowl and made his way back to Ben. He crowded into Ben's space and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Ben's hands came up to rest on his hips and he lined up their mouths for a proper kiss. Even through the haze of alcohol Hux could feel sparks shooting through him at the contact. He pressed closer, chasing the feeling, but after a moment Ben pushed him away.

"You're drunk."

"So are you." Hux pushed forward and trailed kisses down Ben's neck.

"Not like you are," Ben said. He grabbed Hux's upper arms and pushed him away more firmly. "You should go to bed."

Hux wanted to argue the point, but the tequila was making itself known. He turned his back on Ben and stumbled across the room to the bathroom. He didn't even have enough time to close the door behind him before he was emptying his stomach.

Forget sex, there was no way Ben was going to agree to a second date after this.  

But instead of leaving, Ben followed him into the tiny bathroom and filled up a glass of water for him. "Here."

Hux only managed to get half of it down before getting sick again.

Ben sighed and crouched down next to him, rubbing one hand in slow circles on his back. "You really are going to be the death of me."

He said it so softly that Hux didn't think he was supposed to hear it.

  
**

_"Hux," the voice was practically shouting this time, although none of the others on the bridge seemed to hear it._

_He refused to be made a fool of again and took off running as soon as he heard his name, ignoring the confused shouts from the officers behind him. He hoped that if he didn't hesitate he would finally be able to catch up with the mysterious figure._

_He dashed through the ship, passing soldiers in strange white armor, but never taking his eyes off of his quarry. This time he could actually see the man's back and not just his clothing. His hair was a messy black, reaching almost to his shoulders. There was something so familiar about him that Hux felt he should know a name to yell, but instead he just shouted, "Stop!"_

_The man's step stuttered for a moment at Hux's yell and it was enough for him to catch up and grab the man's arm. He forced the man around and stepped back in surprise when he found himself staring into Ben's face—except harsher with a deep scar down one side._

_"Finally," Ben murmured, his eyes flashing an unnatural gold. "Wake up."_

**

Hux sat straight up in bed, gasping for breath.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked, sitting up next to him.

Hux's stomach was roiling and he had a splitting headache. The last thing he'd expected was to find Ben still in his apartment, let alone in his bed. "I feel like death warmed over."

His voice sounded more like a death rattle than words and Hux threw off the sheets and stumbled into the bathroom. He took two painkillers with an entire glass of water and splashed a few handfuls onto his face.

He was hardly recognizable in the mirror. His face was sickly pale and despite having slept more than usual there were bags under his bloodshot eyes. What a time to have a man in his bed. A man who he hardly knew, but had somehow made an appearance in his recurring dream last night.

Something wasn't right. Something hadn't been right for a long time.

His hands were shaky—from the growing panic or his hangover he wasn't sure—but he managed to get toothpaste onto his toothbrush and scrub the taste of vomit out of his mouth. One thing at a time.

Once he'd made himself moderately presentable—or as presentable as he could be in his boxers and a bleach stained t-shirt—he stepped out of the bathroom.

Ben was still in bed with the sheet around his hips and his bare chest exposed. At first glance his muscular chest was flawless, but the longer Hux looked the more he was sure that there were scars there. Scars that couldn't be explained by the shadows in the room.

"Who are you?" Hux asked, keeping his distance from the bed.

Ben tilted his head and studied Hux the way he had at the coffee house. "Do you feel like you belong here?"

"What do you mean?"

Ben gestured widely, his arms encompassing Hux's apartment or perhaps even the entire world. "This world. It's not real."

"Of course it is," Hux scoffed.

Ben shook his head. "You can't remember when you started your job. Doesn't that bother you?"

Hux frowned. "That doesn't prove anything. Time runs together when you're at a job as monotonous as that one."

"Okay," Ben said. "How old is your cat? When did you move into this apartment?"

Hux knew the answer to that one. "After my father kicked me out for being gay."

Ben frowned. "Tell me about that day. When was it?"

"No," Hux snapped. He'd had enough. Clearly Ben was not mentally well. And he'd invited him into his apartment. "I think you should go." He massaged his temples. "I'm too hungover for this conversation."

"No you're not."

"Excuse me?" Hux asked, incredulously. "I think I know what my own headache feels like."

"This world isn't real," Ben repeated. He stood up, but stayed on the opposite side of the bed. "Therefore your hangover isn't either."

"I believe I told you to leave," Hux said, putting as much firm command into his words as he could.

Ben ignored him and walked slowly around the bed, his hands out to the side in a placating gesture. "My name isn't really Ben. It's what they wanted me to use here, to try to make me forget. My name is Kylo Ren. You usually just call me Ren."

"Ren," Hux repeated, testing the way the word felt in his mouth. As soon as he said it he was hit with another wave of deja vu, stronger than anything he'd felt before.

"I've been looking for you for a long time," Ben—or should he call him Ren now?—said. "They tried to separate us."

"Who's this 'they' you keep referring too?" Hux stepped back to keep the distance between them, but he stopped when he hit the wall.

"The people who trapped us here," Ren answered without actually telling Hux anything. The frustration he felt at the vagueness was strangely familiar. Apparently everything was giving him deja vu now. Ren tilted his head and studied him. "You were meant for greatness. Ruling the Galaxy at my side. Not working tech support in a cubicle."

Hux closed his eyes and saw the mysterious ship he'd been dreaming about for as long as he could remember. "I dream about space. Almost every night." He opened his eyes and looked at Ren. He didn't focus, letting his vision go blurry. When he did Ren's black boxers faded away and were replaced by a full black outfit complete with cloak. "And a man. A man who's always out of reach. Until last night. Last night I saw his face and it was you. But that was just a dream."

Ren stepped into his personal space and cupped Hux's cheek. "No. That was reality. This is the dream."

Ren kissed him gently and Hux felt the same spark he had last night. He leaned into Ren and rested his hand on his back. For a moment he swore that instead of skin he felt a thick, quilted fabric.

He pushed Ren away and sat down on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. "There's something wrong with me. I'm hallucinating." He looked up at Ren. "Are you even here? Or are you a hallucination too?"

Ren's hands tightened into fists and Hux got the impression he was trying very hard not to lose his temper. After a moment he relaxed and crouched down in front of Hux. "There are two options. Either you're hallucinating or I'm right. Which one would you rather be true?"

If he was hallucinating then he probably had a brain tumor or something. His job didn't give him enough sick leave to even begin dealing with that. But if Ren was right then he'd _been_ someone. He'd ruled the Galaxy and traveled through space. It wasn't even a competition really.

"What does it matter?" Hux asked. "Aren't you trapped here too?"

Ren shook his head. "Once my powers returned and I became aware of the truth I could leave at any time."

"Then why didn't you?"

"I promised you that I'd find you." Ren paused, his brow furrowing. "I could probably wake you up from the other side, but there will likely be resistance. I'd rather we both leave together."

"Resistance?"

"Nothing to worry about," Ren said dismissively, which only served to make Hux worry about it more. If indeed they had been trapped in this place then someone had worked awfully hard to imprison them. Between the promises of galactic conquest and his brief glimpses of Ren's supervillain-esque outfit, he was starting to get the impression that they were not the heroes of the story.

It should probably concern him how little that bothered him.

"Do you trust me?" Ren asked.

No matter how questionable his decisions had been since he'd met Ren it didn't mean he trusted the man. "Not even a little."

The last thing Hux expected was Ren's fond smirk. He had the sneaking suspicion that they'd had a version of this conversation before. "Will you follow me anyway?"

There wasn't really a choice. If there was even a chance he could be someone important he was going to take it. "Yes."

Ren moved so that he was sitting on the bed next to Hux and held out his hands. "Take my hands."

"We're doing this now?"

Ren raised one eyebrow. "Would you rather call in sick to work first? Maybe feed the imaginary cat?"

"I hate you," Hux muttered. He took Ren's hands in his, squeezing tighter than necessary, but Ren didn't even seem to notice. Bastard.

"No you don't." Ren closed his eyes and the hair on Hux's arms suddenly stood up straight as if the room was charged with static electricity.

"What—"

"Close your eyes," Ren commanded. "And follow me."

Hux had no idea what that meant, but he closed his eyes and concentrated on the way Ren's hands felt in his own. He did his best to push away his concerns about how stupid they looked and keep his focus on Ren, and after a few minutes he felt the static increase until he was certain that sparks were jumping across his skin.

"Wake up."

**

Hux jerked awake, struggling for breath. He reached up and found a breathing tube sticking out of his mouth. He grabbed at the tube, pulling it. It scraped his throat painfully on the way out and set off a coughing fit, but it wasn't anything compared to being Force choked by Ren.

Now that was a memory he could do without, but he supposed he couldn't pick and choose. He just wished that it wasn't the first one to come back to him.

An alarm went off and he reacted instinctively, rolling off of the bed, putting it between him and the door. The tubes in his arms restricted his movement and he fumbled with them, removing them as quickly as he could. The last thing he wanted to do was rip those out too.

He focused on unhooking the IVs, trying to stay in the present. Memories were coming back to him fast, but he still felt like Armitage Hux, tech support, not Grand Marshall Hux, military commander of the First Order. It was disorienting.

The doors blew open and Hux grabbed the IV stand—it was the only thing not bolted down—but immediately dropped it when Ren strode through the door. He'd lost weight and was dressed in the same white medical clothing that Hux was wearing, but he still managed to fill up the room with his presence.

Hux stood up and did his best to speak through his ruined throat. "Took you long enough."

"You had a cat," Ren said accusingly. "I don't think you wanted to be found."

Hux sighed. He wasn't going to live that down for a long time. "What's the situation?"

"We're on a prison colony in the Outer Rim." Ren smiled viciously. "There aren't nearly enough guards."

"Well come on then," Hux said, walking out into the hall. There was a guard on the ground, his neck twisted at an unattural angle, and Hux bent down to collect the man's blaster. He may be barefoot in what amounted to pajamas, but as soon as he had the blaster in hand he felt in control again. "Which way?"

Ren hesitated, but eventually jerked his chin to the left. "The ships are that way."

When Ren didn't show any sign of moving, Hux crossed his arms. "But?"

"Rey's on her way."

"No," Hux said, firmly. He turned his back to Ren and set off for the ships.

Ren caught up to him in a few strides. "I didn't say anything."

"But I know you. You want to stay and fight her," Hux snapped. "Without your sword and wearing pajamas. The answer is no."

"You don't command me," Ren said, a hint of warning in his tone. There was a time immediately after Snoke's death that Hux would have heeded that warning. But not any longer.

"Stay and die for all I care," Hux said. "But I'm leaving now. If you die I'll have a statue built of you outside of the academy on Arkanis." He paused long enough to shoot a pair of guards jogging toward them. "Of course I'll have to rebuild the academy first. Probably retake Arkanis too. But eventually there will be a statue."

Ren sighed. "I miss the way you used to fear me."

"No you don't."

They reached the end of the hall and entered the hanger. There were several guards on duty, but Ren raised one hand and they flew outward, slamming into the walls and ceiling. None of them got up again.

"Which one do you think?" Hux asked looking at the rather sad selection of ships.

Ren pointed at a run down looking cargo ship in the back.

Hux frowned at it skeptically. "Are you sure that thing even has a hyperdrive?"

"Appearances can be deceiving," Ren said. "It'll outrun these Resistance ships and blend in better once we get out of this system."

Hux shrugged. "You're the pilot."

**

As soon as they were safely far enough away that the scavenger would have difficulty tracking them, Hux left the cockpit. The ship was small and shabby, but it had a sonic shower and that was enough.

"Are you okay?" Ren asked.

Hux barely kept himself from jumping at the sound of Ren's voice. He was most definitely not okay. Force knew how long he'd been standing under the sonics. It had been easier in the prison, because he hadn't had time to think.

"Shouldn't you be in the cockpit?"

Ren stripped off his shirt and Hux couldn't help but check for each scar—stomach, shoulder, neck. He didn't know how he'd ever forgotten them. "We landed on an asteroid. They shouldn't be able to find us here while we regroup."

Hux jerked his eyes up to Ren's face in surprise. He really had been out of it if he hadn't even noticed that they'd landed. "Are you sure?"

Ren nodded and finished undressing. He stepped into the shower stall. Hux shifted around awkwardly until Ren could stand in the path of the sonics. It hadn't been made for two people, let alone two people their size, but when he made to leave Ren stopped him.

"You didn't answer me," Ren said. His hands were loosely resting on Hux's hips, his thumb running in circles over the blaster scar that he'd gotten in the academy. Maybe, just maybe, Ren was cataloging his scars too. "Are you okay?"

Hux shrugged. "I will be. I don't have the luxury to dwell."

Ren studied his face for a moment before nodding once. He leaned in and brushed their lips together. In the dream world, Ren's kisses had been enough to make him feel alive and they did the same here.

Hux pressed forward, kissing Ren more firmly. "You came for me."

Ren slid his hands around Hux's waist until they rested on the small of his back. "I promised you I would."

Hux kissed Ren again and then pulled back and traced his fingers over each of Ren's scars before finally letting them linger on the raised scar on his shoulder. After a moment, Ren grabbed his hand and kissed the tips of his fingers, before reaching over and turning off the sonics. "According to the ship's computer we've been asleep for nearly a year."

Hux sighed. Apparently their interlude was over and it was time to get back to business. "Is the Order still fighting?"

Ren stepped out of the shower and went into the small bedroom. He pulled a few pairs of black pants out of the closet. They would likely be too short for them, but they would do. "There are reports of skirmishes near the Unknown Regions."

"Then that's where we start."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are much appreciated.
> 
> You can find my social media information in my profile. :D


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